Team profile

After two decades away fromthe international stage, Belgium have gradually established themselves as aforce once again. They made their FIVB Volleyball World Grand Prix debut in2014 and won Group 2 by defeating the Netherlands 3-2 to claim victory in theFinal Four. They progressed to the Final Six of Group 1 but failed to win amatch and finished sixth. Belgium finished 10th overall after being promoted toGroup 1 in the following year, defeating Turkey in their first match and Russiain their last match in the preliminary round. Belgium have also competed atthree World Championships. In 2014, they finished in joint-11th place. Belgiumbegan competing consistently at a continental level in the 1960s, making theirEuropean Championship debut in 1967 and appearing three more times over thenext 20 years. They finished 14th in 1967 and 12th in 1975, 1979 and 1987. In2007 a seventh-place finish paved the way for greater things. They slipped to11th in 2009 but returned to have a breakthrough year in 2013 when they claimeda silver medal in the European League and two months later travelled to theEuropean Championship. There they defeated Serbia for the bronze medal.

Coach

Gert Vande Broek

Gert Vande Broek returns after leading Belgium’swomen’s team to their World Grand Prix debut in 2014, where they finished sixthin Group 1. He had previously guided them to arguably their two finestperformances in 2013, claiming silver in the European League and bronze at theEuropean Championship. That same year he was presented with the InternationalVolleyball Federation’s 2013 Sport Science Award in recognition of his innovative coaching methods. Vande Broek, who took over Belgium’s team in 2008,has also coached Asterix Kieldrecht women’s team in his home nation since 1994.They have won nine Belgian championships and nine national cups under hismanagement.